//------------------------------// // 1: To Begin Anew // Story: From the Ashes // by Dark0592 //------------------------------// A month had passed since the degeneration and there was still no breakthroughs, in both of her goals. No matter how much love she pumped into her sleeping queen, or how much she prodded her mental manifestation, the queen would not stir. And while the degeneration did not progress or tear at their minds anymore, they were still covered almost completely in carapace and holes. Twilight and a few of the older changelings were the only ones to bear skin anymore, and only in place of the soft muscle the carapace would normally reveal. That wasn’t at the front of Twilight’s thoughts at the moment, though. What she was focusing on was a single individual. Or rather, a single Drone. She stopped calling the changelings of her hive Drones, but she could describe this one as nothing else. It blended in perfectly with its degenerated kin, but it was certainly not of her hive. The creature was currently sitting alone at a table in the mess hall Twilight had decided to stop by. She noticed him immediately for multiple reasons. The first was that it was gnawing on what looked like leftovers, rather than a fresh meal pod. The second was that she was surprised to see it sitting there, she knew the location and general state of mind of every single changeling in her hive mind. Even the almost nonexistent link to the Harvesters yielded locational information. Lastly, she could not recall a name. Or anything about this individual. While she did not personally know every single one of her new children, something she was slowly rectifying, she could always query the hive mind to get at least a name. Nobody knew who he was, and he was not connected to the hive mind. Which could only mean one thing. Twilight held a hand out, and almost immediately a passing worker placed a small try of four pods in the outstretched hand. There was no word spoken, not even a mental command through the hive. The Drone was surprised when someone sat with him, and dropped the remains of the empty meal pod he was chewing on at realizing who it was that had decided to join him. “M-My Queen!” He said, trying and failing to bow to her while simultaneously trying to stand. Twilight instinctively asked him to drop the title, as she usually did when one of her new children tried to bow to her, but she quickly stopped trying when she remembered why she sat down in the first place. So this really is a Spy from another hive. Chrysalis told her it may happen one day, the other hives might take interest in Equestria, or their hive specifically. None of them had apparently had contact in centuries. “Pardon the insult, but is your queen really this stupid to think I wouldn’t notice an individual I could not reach in the hive mind?” She asked flatly. The drone’s chitin almost paled as the look of fear overtook his facial features. He was about to try and bolt before Twilight pulled two of the meal pods from the organic tray and held them out to him. “While I strongly disapprove of your being here, I will not let one starve in my halls if I have the food to spare.” She continued. Seeing that it was not currently lying dead where he sat, the drone decided it wasn’t in immediate lethal danger and cautiously accepted the pods. He started gnawing on the top of it, seemingly trying to eat only the organic material that made up the pod. Confused, Twilight made a bit of a noise to get his attention before absentmindedly pulling the top of her own pods off with her teeth and taking a sip from the drink within the second. The drone met her with another confused look before she picked a piece of cooked meat from the first pod and started eating it. Finally understanding, the thing followed her lead and was enraptured by the actual food in the pods. “Can you even speak, or are you just too scared to do so?” Twilight asked as a few of her children left and were silently replaced with defenders. They did not act, nor do anything more but act as if they were simply here to eat and chatter on a break. The Drone made a clicking noise, but it seemed to be more of a natural click as it wasn’t nearly complicated enough to carry meaning like Twilight’s children could. Children… that felt right to call them, rather than Drones. “I… am sorry… I… I don’t want to die…” The Drone said shakily, finally noticing the much larger changelings now outnumbering ten to one around the room. Without even a darting eye movement from Twilight, the defenders slowly filed out after picking up their meal pods. Twilight did roll her eyes as Keine grabbed an extra pod of wine but didn’t do anything about it. Her head defender deserved the right to be a lush sometimes. The Drone, on the other hand, was now a little more terrified of this new hive. No words, and their drones could understand and operate without a direct line of control. He was terrified, but as the defenders left the terror slowly plateaued out to more of a general fear for his life rather than OH DEAR GOD PLEASE DON’T KILL ME. This was a little abated as Twilight nodded to his meal pods. “Please, you’re starved. We may speak whenever you are ready.” She said gently, almost like he was her own drone. Cautiously, he sniffed the now open meal pods still in his hands. The beverage appeared to be some sort of juiced fruit, while the meat was of something from the surrounding forest if he were to hazard a guess. Both were divine in flavor, he was used to bi-waste from his elders or scraps. This was… This was concerning. Why was this queen so friendly to him? He thought for sure he was dead. Especially when the room filled with the soldiers. But now she seems… concerned. And Twilight was concerned. The creature was almost a stick, with barely any meat under his carapace. She could feel that even his love reserves were barely high enough to support cognitive function let alone changeling magic. She watched it devour the meal, like it was his first. She noted how it would occasionally glance at her with either curiosity or fear. Or sometimes both. When it finished, the queen finally spoke again. “Tell me, what is your name? I wish to stop calling you Spy or Drone in my thoughts.” She asked politely. The drone froze. She wants a name? “I do not have a name, Queen. I have not achieved a high enough rank in my hive to be granted one…” He replied. It was true, he was one of the newest births of his hive. He was tasked with this spy job since he apparently resembled the drones of this hive the most. He could not match their mannerisms, though, and was quickly isolated. At least that’s what he thought, it was really his inability to connect to their hive mind. He was chewing on leftovers because to the cooks he had not earned his meal today yet. They were too busy cooking to realize they heard nothing of him because there was nothing to be heard. “Don’t have a… That’s terrible!.” Twilight said, almost disgusted another queen would strip her lower ranking children of even a name. She thought for a moment, letting the feeling pass. “Well, if a name is earned… have you never thought of one for yourself?” The queen asked. The drone flinched. Of course he has, every nameless drone dreams of a name for themselves. It is almost never their chosen name, but a drone can dream can’t it? “N-Nik, your highness.” He squeaked out. Twilight nodded. “Nik, then. Good. Well, Nik, I know you’re a spy. I would like your cooperation, as I really don’t want to hurt or imprison you. Can you call to your queen so I may speak with her? I’d be more than happy to answer at least some of the questions you were sent here to answer.” The lavender queen asked. Nik looked at her, dumbfounded. Call to his queen? SPEAK with her? If Nik ever addressed his queen with anything more than an emergency or a report he’d be executed on the spot! Let alone that he could do no such thing from so many miles away. “Uh… What?” He asked, instantly clasping hands over his mouth. He just questioned a queen. That was grounds for punishment. Twilight picked up on it though, and sighed. “Nik, I promise you will not be harmed as long as you show no hostilities of your own. By your response, I’m guessing you’re unable to contact your queen from here?” She guessed. Nik nodded. “Then how were you to report your findings?” She continued. “I was to… to return home. Whenever I found something worth telling my queen…” He gulped. And now he’s revealed his orders to another queen. If this Lavender queen didn’t kill her, his own surely would now. “Well then, I suggest you do your job. Tell your queen that further spies will be turned away at the door. If she wishes to know more about me, she must come and ask herself.” Twilight said, standing. She put her hand out again and a worker quickly placed a few more meal pods in her hand. “As a gift of good faith, and to leverage your life by the sound of i’ll grant you a few days of rations. If I give you too much then give it to your queen or something.” She explained. The Drone very cautiously took the gift, staring down at the things in his hands. He then stared back at Twilight for a few seconds before she rolled her eyes. “Go on then, you will find none to bar your path to leave. I’m excited to speak to your queen.” She said, ending with a smile. The drone almost stayed to stare at her again, but quickly snapped out of it and bolted. Letting his fear guide him out of this strange hive, he found open air and shot through it on his gossamer wings. “Nobody in the hive is old enough to even remember seeing another hive’s changeling… If only our first mother were here. She’d know more about this…” Keine said ,returning almost immediately with an open wine pod in her hand. Twilight gave her a coy smile before snatching it and sipping at it before the burly woman noticed it was even gone. The Defender’s protest was cut short at Twilight’s expression. It had fallen again, and Keine could feel the inner turmoil from her queen. She shouldn’t have mentioned Chrysalis… “While I appreciate the sentiment, she is your mother. Not I. There is no point in saying first if there was never a second.” The Queen said softly. Keine shook her head and had to hold back her argument. This conversation had already happened more times than she’d like to count. She wasn’t going to repeat it, at least not today. “Perhaps… we could learn more about our kind?” She suggested slowly, grasping at straws. Nictus and Ceren were always better and cheering her up. That seemed to lift her queen’s spirits at least a little bit, though, as a soft smile graced her lips as she looked at her head defender. “You’re right. If I dwell in the past too long I may not be able to bring myself back to the present… Chrysalis told me little of other Changelings, but judging by that Drone’s reaction to being found out he was expecting to be killed right there… I hope I did the right thing, Keine. The last thing I would want is war, and I would hate for Nik to lose his life because I found him out…” Twilight said with a sad sigh. Keine almost laughed. “Even though he was not yours, you cared about his life like he was. I’d be jealous if I couldn’t feel the love for us you give off.” The Defender said, wrapping an arm around Twilight’s shoulder. Twilight chuckled and leaned into the half embrace. She could never get over the need for physical affection she had with her friends in Ponyville, her children were always happy to reciprocate at least. “Thanks, I needed that.” Twilight said, taking a calming breath and standing. She downed the rest of her drink and carried the rest of her meal as they walked, picking at it occasionally. “Any word from Celestia or Luna?” She asked, her tone settling into a professional one. “Plenty of word, yes, but not the right ones. Your idea to keep in regular contact is certainly doing wonders for our morale, but even I’ve started to learn to read between the lines. In Celestia’s letters they explain how much they miss you personally as well as how they miss the Changelings as allies and friends. But, hidden in the kind words of encouragement are quite angry quips. I assume she expects you to be the only one to pick up on them.” Keine explains, chuckling at the end. Twilight gave her a curious look so she elaborated. “Not directed at us, of course. She’s angry at her own people I think. Well, I guess frustrated. She’s talked about plans to resume integration, but the only places that’ll even accept us in our degenerated state is Ponyville and Cloudsdale, and that’s only because your old friends are pushing it so hard.” Keine explained. Twilight hummed in acknowledgement. “Remind me to thank the Archivists for pouring over her letters for me, I guess I did spend a bit too long immersed.” She sighed. Keine chuckled. “Mother knows best, as they say. And they already know.” The Defender replied. Twilight was about to ask how they could, but was quickly reminded of the hive mind. Specifically, the appreciation from said Archivists acknowledging her thanks. She could only smile at it as the two walked. “A new letter has arrived, though. Since you were awake, the Archivists brought it to your quarters. This one seemed important.” Keine continued as they stopped below the opening to her chamber. Twilight nodded to keine, her appreciation translated immediately through the hive mind. Keine smiled and did a simple bow. Twilight rolled her eyes and the two parted ways, Twilight up to the queen’s chamber and Keine back to the defender’s branch. Twilight could never suppress her smile at seeing her Queen in her peaceful sleep on the bed. It used to immediately fall as she remembered that the queen would not wake up… but she didn’t think about that. She walked over to the bed and sat down, gently stroking the woman’s hair. Without a thought, she levitated the rolled scroll from the desk over to her and opened it in the telekinesis. ‘To my Twilight Sparkle, It has certainly been a frustrating month. I can’t spare the time to visit, and almost every member of my council is up in arms every time I suggest it. Their refusal is not unfounded, they fear that even though you are the Queen there are drones that you cannot control and may attack me. I know it’s all poppycock, I’ve personally met a number of your kin last time I was there. THey were more than polite. After careful explanation and coaxing, though, they are prepared to allow you and a number of your kin to come to Canterlot in a show of peace to conduct negotiations and peace talks once more. Since we’ve already done that, it’ll really just be some time I wish to spend with you… I miss you, Twilight. Luna misses you as well, and your brother has been wanting to see you since even before the degeneration. He’s returned from the crystal empire with Cadence. We plan to, at the end of it, publically announce our agreements to placate the nobility and give you a chance to give an address should you wish. Changeling or not you are still the Element of magic and a former princess of Equestria. Your Princess Celestia’ Twilight smiled at her old mentor’s writing. It used to embarrass Twilight how she started writing to her as if they were lovers, but quickly found solace in the affection behind it when it was clear it was a joke. She grinned at the memory of the nobility practically breaking down the door to Celestia’s room when they had caught wind of it. She smiled as she looked at Chrysalis then. Three mothers in her life, and now she was down to one… Her smile faded with that thought. Her birth mother had become so enraptured by her research she hadn’t even seen the woman since she retired her equestrian crown. That was the last formal event Twilight had been a part of in Equestria. And that was years ago. She had somewhat regular correspondence with her father via letters until she was changed, and had even sent a few letters back and forth afterwards. Chrysalis was… asleep. Now all she had left was Celestia. She smiled at that finally and stood. With a wordless request, her chamber opened and Nictus entered with a few others. The others placed parchment, ink and a glyph inscribed seal on the desk and left while Nictus clasped Twilight’s hand. “Good to see you again, my queen. Our last hunt was a success, no casualties.” The Huntress said first. Twilight smiled and nodded. She was aware of the full report but she always preferred receiving it directly. “How goes the project?” Twilight asked. Nictus’ unintentional clicks revealed excitement. “Fully trained and tested on a hunt, my queen. I think we’re ready.” The Huntress replied. Twilight clasped her hands together in joy. “Perfect, gather my Wraiths. We’ve been granted an audience in Canterlot. Unless otherwise stated we shall leave tonight.” The queen said happily. Nictus was overjoyed at both the new changelings being mobilized and their chance to set things right again. She didn’t feel the need to bow as Keine still did, happy with giving her queen all the respect she could muster through the link. She could feel the queen’s eyes rolling but was happy to reciprocate it. Finally, progress.